Coming this autumn: The Sharing Perspectives Podcast

As young people across the globe mobilize around one of humanity’s biggest questions, we ask: what is the impact of climate change on the planet, political action and the movement of people?   Join us in exploring this subject in the Sharing Perspectives Podcast and listen to nine episodes with powerful perspectives from speakers at the centre of the climate change movement.

What the Virtual Exchange format introduces, is a continuous connection between the local and the global, online and offline, personal and common, or differences and similarities. The format does not introduce a radical disruption from or for traditional forms of education, but establishes new dimensions and connections to existing, formal education settings. 

Many of us were confronted with earlier this year with sudden closures of universities, schools, travel restrictions and even lockdowns. Together with our partners of the Erasmus+ Virtual Exchange initiative, we were extra motivated to offer more opportunities for young people to connect and learn in safe, welcoming online environments. Check out how some of our active Erasmus+ Virtual Exchange community members feel about Virtual Exchange during challenging times.

Across a range of fields and disciplines, virtual learning and interaction are commonly seen as a ‘plan B,’ i.e. “if we can’t get everyone together, then we’ll begrudgingly adapt accordingly”. And often, especially with programs around sensitive issues or specific participants, this is even a ‘plan Z’ as people are convinced “we just can’t do what we do online.”  In many cases, this is likely true, and we fully see the benefits that in-person interaction provides. We are not tech evangelists. However, what this negative sentiment prevents is the ability to ask the more generative question: What is enabled by ‘going virtual’? 

Autumn semester has started for many learners. We are getting ready for the start of the Erasmus+ Virtual Exchange 'Cultural Encounters: The Big Climate Movement'.  Don't wait and apply today to join this online, interactive, international learning experience!

What once filled the speaking slots of education conferences, have now settled into spaces of predictability. Still, there are valuable lessons to be learned from their rapid rise and un-exceeded expectations of MOOCs. To name a few: Widely available won’t always mean widely used. Accessible won’t always mean accessed. Learning needs to be social and experiential, and online learning requires grounded affiliations and incentives. Is there a place for virtual exchange in open online courses? We have found that there is. 

In the 4-week Erasmus+ Virtual Exchange course on Youth, Peace, and Security, young people led and defined the conversation about themselves. "This experience broadened my thinking on peace building and conflict transformation processes. It gave me the platform to create new connections and relationships."